High-performance thermoacoustically driven triboelectric nanogenerator for autonomous wireless monitoring

Harvesting low-grade heat offers a promising strategy for sustainable power generation. However, existing thermoacoustic energy harvesters often suffer from low electrical output and limited practical applicability. Here, we report a thermoacoustically driven honeycomb-structured triboelectric nanogenerator (TADHS-TENG) capable of converting heat into electricity and directly powering wireless sensors. The TADHS-TENG integrates a thermoacoustic oscillator with an elastically suspended rolling-ball TENG. It achieves a maximum voltage of 124 V, a peak current of 15.82 μA, a maximum charge transfer of 50.54 nC, and a peak power of 1.2 mW, outperforming previously reported thermoacoustically driven TENGs. By incorporating a power management circuit and an energy storage module, the TADHS-TENG is capable of continuously driving a Bluetooth-enabled temperature sensor that transmits data to the cloud without reliance on external power sources. These results demonstrate the feasibility of heat-driven, self-powered, wireless monitoring and underscore the significant potential of thermoacoustically driven TENGs for driving low-power electronics in real-world environments.